Blackjack in the UK: an unexpected turn for the better

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Blackjack in the UK: an unexpected turn for the better

(This article deals with the subject of blackjack rules; if you're unfamiliar with them, you'd do worse than to read the blackjack rules section of my main blackjack page.)

I was in a London casino recently, reacquainting myself with my old hobby of standing behind a blackjack table and watching the play.

On an immediate sidenote: this is a non-participatory activity with no adherent cost, and one which I wholeheartedly recommend. It would, of course, if practised by gamblers nationwide, result in the bankrupting of the casino industry.

But I digress.

At one point, a player had and ace and a five, for a total of soft 16. The dealer had a four. As doubling in UK casinos is restricted to initial two-card totals of 9, 10 and 11 ("D9"), I expected the player to hit.

He doubled.

Hmm.

Had the rules changed? Can we now double down on any initial two-card total, the "DOA" rule common in US casinos?

I sought out an otherwise unoccupied dealer and raised the question; she told me that the rules had indeed now been changed, with doubling allowed on any two cards, and splitting also similarly derestricted.

After some initially frustrated Googling, I found the relevant documents.

In September 2006, a consultation document was published by the Gambling Commission, Types and rules of casino games, which gives the background to the proposed changes and notes the new doubling rule in particular:

The draft also proposes to allow players to double down on any hand. Currently, doubling down is only allowed when the first two cards dealt give a total of 9, 10 or 11.

The new rules were fully laid out, and enshrined in law by default under the auspices of the 2005 Gambling Act, in the rules of casino games in Great Britain, in July 2008.

Here are the new doubling rules:

Doubling down

4.24 - Management may decide which of the following options will apply:

a) the double down option will only be offered where the player has a score of 9, 10 or 11; or

b) the double down option will be offered when the player has any score.

Where option b) is used, this must be displayed on a sign or notice at the table.

Note that it's down to the individual casino whether to offer DOA or D9.

As far as pair-splitting goes, here is the relevant paragraph:

Splitting pairs

4.25 - Management may decide which of the following options will apply:

a) the option to split a pair will not apply when the player has a pair of 4s, 5s or 10s; or

b) the option to split will apply to any pair.

Where option b) is used, this must be displayed on a sign or notice at the table.

Again, the option for full splitting is again down to manager.

Note that in terms of optimal play there are only two splits that this rule change brings into effect, 4/4 v. 5 and 4/4 v. 6. Neither tens nor fives should ever be split.

There is one more point to bear in mind - take a look at the rules governing the dealer's play on soft 17:

4.15 - Management may decide which of the following two options will apply to the dealer's hand:

a) The first Ace dealt to the dealer in a game shall have a value of 11. If this
gives a total of between 17 and 21 inclusive, the dealer must stand. For
example, an Ace and 6 equals a score of 17. Alternatively, if this would give a
score of more than 21 at the end of the game, and subject to that, an Ace
shall have a value of 1;

b) 'Soft 17' - an Ace dealt to a dealer's hand will count as 11, unless this gives a score of more than 21, or a total of 17, in which case it will count as one.
Therefore, an Ace and 6 will equal 7, and not 17. If it gives a total of between
18 and 21 inclusive, the dealer must stand.

Where option b) is used, a notice must be displayed on the table clearly stating
this fact.

Option b) is actually "hard 17", not "soft 17".

Hard 17 is substantially detrimental to the player. Check before playing.

At best, with S17 and the new DOA rule, the house edge is 0.55% for blackjack in UK casinos, with correct play - the derestricted doubling shaves a little under 0.1% off the house edge.

Whatever the Commission's reasons for altering the rules may be, it's quite unusual for casinos to change for the better. This was a positive turn of events for the UK blackjack player.

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